Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1887-05-20
SUICIDEOR MURDER.
The Horrible Death Of
Mrs. Paul Bruckner.
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.

The most horrible event that we have been
called upon to chronicle occurred this week.
1t was the terrible death Of Mrs. Paul
Bruckner by having her throat cut, the radial
arteries OF the wrist cut and also by drowning
and was either case of suicide or murder.
Mrs. Bruckncr who was formerly Elizabeth
Limpeck, was twenty.four years of age and
has been married to Paul Bruckner some four
years. Her husband has been absent in
eastern Oregon about six months looking Tor
new home. During his absence she has
lived with her fathers family consisting Of
Stephen Limpeck, his wife and grown son,
Paul, who reside on farm some eight miles
south OF Roseburg. For the past six weeks,
Mrs. Bruckner has been sick, part Of the time
bedfast. Her husband has been expected
home this week and had written that he had
started home on horseback. The parties are
all Hungarians and have been residents Of
this section for several years. These are few
Of the preliminarics Of the dreadful affair,
which is gathered from the family as follows:
At nine o'clock Monday night the father had
retired to bed downstairs, while the son, Paul
Limpeck had gone to bed downstairs, leaving
the mother and Elizabeth up, the latter bath
ing her feet, this was the last they saw Of her
aliYe. Shortly after they retired and about
eleven o'clock the mother went to her daugh-
ter's room to see if she was comfortable. She
was surprised to find the bed unoccupicd and
imme iiately aroused the family and COM
nenced the search. They went to the barn
and from thence 10 the river where they saw
foot printsa and then returned home, failing to
give any alarm. The next morning they
aroused the neighbors and Fins billiard going
in skiff along the river bank discovered
the body. When found She was in her night
clothes and there were no marks Of violence
on her person or clothes. This was about
9o'clock in the morning. Mr.. billiard came
to town and gave the news. Coroner Mars
ters repaired t6rthe scene accompanied by
many citizens. y jury was cmponelled con-
sisting of 3. B. Brockway, J. NJ. billiard.
VIM. McBee, ]. w. Mote, G.. w. Cummings
and David Lenox. The investigation was
assisted by District Attorney Hamilton. The
jury onthe evidence returned verdict Of
suicide by cutting with razor and drowning.
Sucn are the leading outlines Of the mys-
terious affair, the details, however, are OF a
vor, eI,cnic;ouc cho c,or h, Gov, tlo Iooe. W.
will attempt to give you few. The barn is
some 200 yards from the house. 1t is evident
from the blood she'd that here Is where the
wounds were inflicted. There is great guam
tity Of blood on the floor and on the barn door,
showing that the latter was shut at the time
OF the commission of the deed An attempt
had been made to wash out and wipe out with
dirt and grass the blood stains. The girl,
then on the suicidal theory must have opened
The door, after the wounding, and shut it again
From the barn on the river trail, one hundred
yards from the barn, is gate; this has blood
upon it, which has also been somewhat oblit-
Grated. This gate was also opened, shut and
latched. Very thoughtful for bleeding. TO
death suicide. II is at least one third Of
mile TO the river from the barn, and along
this trail the blood is invariably to the left of
the trail and in blotches as though CONCEALED
from dead body, not in a stream as from
fresh flowing wound. "The wound in the
throat is a superficial one, says DR.. Marsters,
extending almost from car TO ear, severing
the two external velns and about half through
the wind pipe. II would not have caused
death. The radial artery Of the left wrist
was severed, which would have caused death
from bleeding but probably have taken hours.
The ulnar artery is unlnjurcd." The razor
was found by the father one hundred yards
from the barn where he buried it. A note
in German was also produced by the family
claiming to have been found in the girls room
the morning after the deed. 1t said she was
sick, could not recover and it was best for all
that she should die. 1t also said that her par
entS had always been very kind to her We
are Of the opinion from the righteousness Of
the sad affair that a more thorough search
should have been made Of the house in order
to find if there is no bloody clothing or other
evidence of guilt. Surely if the poor girl
has been murdered the crime should not go
unpunished An autopsy should have also
been held on the body 10 show whether the
deed was committed to cover the most terrible
of crimes. As the matter now rests, public
opinion Is very much divided. 1t does not
seem probable that the girl could have com
mitted suicide in the manner indicated and
the matter should not be allowed to rest
here.